Editorial: Erastus Corning, Mayor of Albany

The following editorial was published in the Times Union, following the death of Erastus Corning 2nd in May, 1983.

No one in recent history has made a bigger mark on Albany than Erastus Corning II. No one in recent memory has devoted as large a part of his life to Albany politics, or is more responsible for determining the direction the city has taken since World War 11. Indeed, he has so long been identified with the city and county that for most persons it is impossible to think Albany without thinking Mayor Corning at the same time.

A tribute to both his political and leadership skills, Mr. Corning was the longest tenured big city mayor in the country. The voters’ enthusiasm for him almost never flagged. In his most recent election to office in November of 1981, he won by a landslide. Before then, those same constituents – or their descendants – had put him in the mayoral office 10 other times.
Mr. Corning’s reign began in 1941 when he was first elected mayor of the city. Under him, the Democratic machine ran remark- ably smoothly. Only once was he himself defeated in a political race, and that was a statewide office bid in the mid-’40s. For the most part, however, both he and his followers had little trouble getting elected to any county office. In assessing Mr. Corning’s rule, it is fair to use the condition of the city of Albany as a yardstick. What Albany is today, what it has accomplished and where it is heading can largely be laid at Mr. Corning’s door.

In many ways the city had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 20th century. The mayor was not especially fond of delegating any of his authority, and he was even less inclined to have the affairs of the city conducted in the open.

But it cannot be denied that the city of Albany is an exceedingly safe, clean and pleasant place to live, and for that – much of it anyway – credit is due Mr. Corning. The schools in the city are quite adequate, as are police, fire and other city services. There is not a great deal of crime in the city, or problems with traffic congestion. Under Mayor Corning’s guidance, Albany worked.

Mr. Corning, as everyone knew, was a man of principle. Even his enemies had great respect for him. Two years ago the mayor made considerable impression on many for his principled stand against the governor over whether a group of rugby players from South Africa should be allowed to play on city property. The mayor believed the game was protected by the freedom of speech clause of the Constitution and took the case to court to overrule former Gov. Hugh Carey’s order to call the game off. The mayor won that dispute as well as the respect of many throughout the nation.

In a way, Mr. Corning was something of an anomaly. He was highly educated, had a diploma from Groton and a degree from Yale, and had the bearing of an Old World patrician – credentials highly unusual for a politician who worked his way up through the ranks of a city machine. His natural elegance, urbanity and sophistication combined to make him a classy ambassador for the city. There’s no doubt but that the mayor’s stately manner greatly enhanced the reputation of Albany.

It might also be correct to say he was somewhat of an anachronism. Few politicians today seem to have the strong and open public spirit that drove Mr. Corning. He carried with him a strongly developed concept of the public good and an equally strong devotion to public service.

In that sense, Mayor Corning was also unique. While most public officials are distant, almost abstract figures who lurk somewhere in the corridors of power, Mr. Corning the public official, the politician, and the man directly touched the lives of many of the people who lived in his city. He loved to talk to his fellow citizens on the phone, cordially received uncounted callers at City Hall, and walked almost all the streets in Albany shaking hands. The mayor will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him. While many disagreed with his policies, and even more with his manner of governing, few disliked the man, and all will mourn his passing.